Dropped my nephew off at college yesterday, but before I sent James down the path for his journey on his junior year, I asked if he'd like to have lunch. His choice.
He picked a Mom-and-Pop burger joint near campus, a drive-thru with a fairly straightforward menu. Why do you like this place? I asked. "They have really good secret sauce," he answered. Funny.
When I want a burger, I search for spots that put the focus on the meat, but for many fans of the ground beef classic, toppings are king. Secret sauce is almost always part of the equation and the secret sauce is the world's worst kept mystery: a blend of mayo and ketchup, maybe with some relish. In other words, a combo that looks and tastes a lot like Thousand Island dressing.
But what if you wanted to elevate that sauce? Give it a little upscale twist.
Before I fire up the grill this weekend and make a bunch of burgers, I'm going to make a batch of traditional remoulade sauce from Tom Fitzmorris' great book, New Orleans Food. It's a mayo-based sauce with scallions, a bit of Creole mustard, lemon juice and Tabasco. Add a little ketchup, maybe a squirt of Sriacha and there you have it, a burger sauce that goes the distance.
What's in your secret sauce?
-- Leslie Kelly
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